Bethesda E3 Conference Impressions: FALLOUT 4, DOOM, and More!

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E3 has officially started, and Bethesda made sure to blow the doors off the Dolby Theatre with a slew of announcements and details about hotly anticipated titles. Despite not having too many surprises in store, especially in terms of unannounced AAA titles, there were plenty of droolworthy developments. The highlight of the show was Fallout 4, of course, and it didn’t disappoint. We got plenty of new gameplay footage and even a release date that’s oh so soon. Our own Jessica Chobot, Malik Forte, and Dan Casey were on hand at the press conference and broke down the biggest news of the evening.

In case you happened to miss out on the action and weren’t following along with our liveblog, here is a full recap of the highs and even higher moments of the blow-out show.

Doom

Doom is back, baby, and it looks like something straight out of hell (in a good way). Granted, we already knew the full reveal was coming courtesy of a short teaser from Bethesda, but we never expected such an in-depth look at the gameplay. Our first introduction to the new Doom was awfully impressive, featuring slick new graphical fidelity provided by their id Tech 6 Engine. (Or the “id Tech 666 Engine” as Pete Hines joked on stage.) Everything looked clean and the lighting effects were great. The demo featured plenty of monstrous-looking demons, fast-paced action, and some supremely sweet weapons. In particular, the transition from one gun to the next looked seamless and fluid.

Oh yeah, it was extremely brutal and violent as well. How violent you ask? Well, a melee animation has you ripping a demons leg off only to use it to smash in his face. Dying will also yield the same morbid variety of harsh results. It was wicked, in a good way. Multiplayer will also make a come back with its arena-style combat, domination, clan arena, and sweet power-ups. Competitive players will surely have a ball with this mode, especially if they’re yearning for a return to multiplayer shooters of yesteryear like Quake or Unreal Tournament.

More importantly though, came the announcement of Doom Snapmap. Here gamers will be allowed to build and share their hellacious arena builds and unique gameplay modes. It’s kind of like if Little Big Planet went to hell. The amounts of customization options seemed incredibly detailed, so letting your imagination run wild is clearly the name of the game here. Even video game logic can be tinkered with.

Strangely there was no mention of the beta promised to those who purchased Wolfenstein: The New Order. Still, there’s plenty of time for that between now and the the game’s release, which is expected for Spring 2016. For a better look at everything, watch the gameplay trailer above.

Dishonored 2/Dishonored Definitive Edition

Arkane Studios was up next, finally announcing Dishonored 2. No surprise here as most of the secret was leaked yesterday by Bethesda themselves, by accidentally streaming a discussion about said title. We did get a new video alongside the announcement though. Set 15 years after the vanquishing of the Lord Regent, you reprise your role as a supernatural assassin once more. This time however, you get to choose between playing as either Corvo Attano or Emily Kaldwin, who we saw unleash the ass-whooping of a lifetime in the narrative trailer. Each assassin will be deadly in their own special way, and it’s refreshing to see a high-profile title like this offer players a choice of protagonist.

As impressive as everything looks, none of it seems to be in game footage. Fortunately that doesn’t detract from the hype train. Playing as Emily should provide a unique perspective, especially depending on how you played the first game. This one is slated for a Spring 2016 release on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

As a final goodbye, Dishonored Definitive Edition was also announced for the PS4 and Xbox One. It will include all of the original content from the 2012 release, plus all of the DLC and enhanced graphics. It will hit retailers August 25, 2015 for $39.99. No footage outside of a static image of the name was shown, which is strange since it releases later this year.

Battlecry

Not much time was devoted to Battlecry but we did get some key information about this PC title. This game is all about the third-person team-based combat that is attempting to bring a new vibe to online multiplayer games. With a parallel universe/World War I aesthetic and gameplay reminiscent of Team Fortress 2 and Overwatch, the game is exceedingly fast-paced and looks to put players in the thick of some close quarters combat.

Here’s a quick summary of what’s going on:

“In a reimagined 20th century, all disagreements between the most powerful empires are settled head-on by elite teams of trained warriors from all over the world, with each member specializing in either high-tech ranged gadgetry or sophisticated melee weapons.Trained and bred for battle, they meet each other in sanctioned WarZones to face off for their share of glory!”

The Alpha was already out and a worldwide beta is set to rollout later this year. If you are really interested in joining the fray, you can sign up for the Beta now. Signing up before June 18th will grant you priority access and some in-game goodies. When it finally opens up, you will be able to toy around with 15 warriors, 3 factions, and 5 classes.

Those lucky enough to be attending E3 will be able to get hands-on with it on the show floor.

Elder Scrolls Legends

This may have been one of the only surprises to be announced. Unfortunately it was a bit lackluster –not because it looked bad, but because nothing outside of key art was shown off. What we do know is that it’s a strategy card game steeped in the lore of The Elder Scrolls. It will be released as a free to play title on PC and iPad. Though the announcement may have lacked the oomph of the other titles, I would be remiss to dismiss a card game. Just look at Hearthstone’s success.

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What did you think of Bethesda’s E3 showing? What has you most excited and why? Let us know in the comments below.

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